‘Gilmore Girls’ Fan Festival To Take Place In Washington Town That Inspired Stars Hollow

This fall is going to be an exciting one for Gilmore Girls fans! Not only will Netflix be releasing the four-part revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, over Thanksgiving weekend, but the town that inspired the fictional setting for the series will also be hosting a Fan Fest in October.

According to the event’s official website, the Gilmore Girls Fan Fest will be held from October 21 to 23 in Washington Depot, Connecticut. The event was planned by a couple, Marcus and Jennie Whitaker, who are fans of the show, and wanted to see Stars Hollow come to life.

“Why hasn’t anyone organized a Stars Hollow reenactment in Washington Depot?” Jennie wrote. “Or, any Gilmore festival of sorts for that matter. I mean, I haven’t even been privy to the details surrounding a tiny little event or a simple mini tour. And, if you ask me, Gilmore Girls almost demands it.”

She added, “Town Hall meetings, large amounts of coffee and lots of good food sounded like a pretty good idea to me. We’d even bring in a little bit of pomp and circumstance. Ok, maybe more than a little. I really couldn’t imagine a world where we couldn’t visit our own Stars Hollow alive and present. Unfathomable. “Let’s do this!”, I thought. That’s when we decided, it was time to bring it to life.”

To date, eight Gilmore Girls cast members have confirmed that they will be attending the festival: Jackson Douglas (Jackson), Rini Bell (Lulu), Aris Alvarado (Caesar), Biff Yeager (Tom), Kelly Bishop (Emily), Yanic Truesdale (Michel), Vanessa Marano (April), and Ted Rooney (Morey). An open invitation remains for any other cast member who would like to attend the cast panel on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at Town Hall.

Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has often talked about Washington Depot, and how it came to be the inspiration for Stars Hollow. As she was putting together the pilot episode, Amy reportedly stayed at the Mayflower Inn, which is now the Mayflower Grace, gathering inspiration.

“If I can make people feel this much of what I felt walking around this fairy town, I thought that would be wonderful,” she said in a 2001 interview with the Deseret News.

Fans who wish to attend the event must purchase tickets from the festival’s website. The tickets are limited and are first-come-first-serve. Those who will be able to attend will be in for a fun-filled Gilmore weekend. Not only will the pilot be aired on Friday and the finale on Saturday, but the Fan Fest will also consist of many other activities that will sure to bring Stars Hollow alive, including tea at the Mayflower, a Knit-a-thon, and a dance recital at the Pavilion.